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  6. Flax seeds vs. Chia seeds

Flax seeds vs. Chia seeds — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the main differences between flax seeds and chia seeds?

  • Flax seeds are richer in vitamin B1, copper, fats, and magnesium, yet chia seeds are richer in selenium, calcium, vitamin B3, phosphorus, fiber, and iron.
  • Flax seeds' daily need coverage for vitamin B1 is 85% higher.

We used Seeds, flaxseed and Seeds, chia seeds, dried types in this comparison.

Infographic

Flax seeds vs Chia seeds infographic
Infographic link

Mineral Comparison

The mineral comparison score is based on which food has a more favorable amount of each mineral. The �coverage� charts below show how much of the daily mineral needs are covered by the selected amount of each food.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 280% 77% 72% 215% 407% 118% 275% 3.9% 324% 139%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 239% 189% 36% 290% 308% 125% 369% 2.1% 355% 301%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +17%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +99.8%
Contains more CopperCopper +32%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +147.5%
Contains more IronIron +34.7%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +34%
Contains less SodiumSodium -46.7%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +117.3%
~equal in Zinc ~4.58mg
~equal in Manganese ~2.723mg

Vitamin Comparison

The vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins in which one food is richer than the other. The �coverage� charts below show how much of the daily vitamin needs are covered by the selected amount of each food.
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate 2% 0% 0% 6.2% 411% 37% 58% 59% 109% 0% 11% 65%
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate 5.3% 0% 0% 10% 155% 39% 166% 0% 0% 0% 0% 37%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +165.2%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +77.6%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +166.7%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +61.3%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +186.7%
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Vitamin A ~µg
~equal in Vitamin B2 ~0.17mg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Flax seeds Chia seeds DV% diff.
Omega-3 (ALA) 17.83g 1114%
Vitamin B1 1.644mg 0.62mg 85%
Selenium 25.4µg 55.2µg 54%
Calcium 255mg 631mg 38%
Vitamin B3 3.08mg 8.83mg 36%
Vitamin B6 0.473mg 36%
Polyunsaturated fat 28.73g 23.665g 34%
Omega-6 (Linoleic acid) 5.835g 34%
Copper 1.22mg 0.924mg 33%
Phosphorus 642mg 860mg 31%
Fiber 27.3g 34.4g 28%
Iron 5.73mg 7.72mg 25%
Vitamin B5 0.985mg 20%
Fats 42.16g 30.74g 18%
Magnesium 392mg 335mg 14%
Choline 78.7mg 14%
Monounsaturated fat 7.527g 2.309g 13%
Potassium 813mg 407mg 12%
Manganese 2.482mg 2.723mg 10%
Folate 87µg 49µg 10%
Protein 18.29g 16.54g 4%
Carbs 28.88g 42.12g 4%
Vitamin K 4.3µg 4%
Calories 534kcal 486kcal 2%
Zinc 4.34mg 4.58mg 2%
Saturated fat 3.663g 3.33g 2%
Vitamin C 0.6mg 1.6mg 1%
Sodium 30mg 16mg 1%
Vitamin E 0.31mg 0.5mg 1%
Vitamin B2 0.161mg 0.17mg 1%
Protein per 100 calories 3.4g 3.4g N/A
Calories per 10 g protein 292kcal 294kcal N/A
Weight per 100 calories 19g 21g N/A
Unsaturated / Saturated Fat ratio 9.9 7.8 N/A
Net carbs 1.58g 7.72g N/A
Sugar 1.55g N/A
Trans fat 0.14g N/A
Tryptophan 0.297mg 0.436mg 0%
Threonine 0.766mg 0.709mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.896mg 0.801mg 0%
Leucine 1.235mg 1.371mg 0%
Lysine 0.862mg 0.97mg 0%
Methionine 0.37mg 0.588mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.957mg 1.016mg 0%
Valine 1.072mg 0.95mg 0%
Histidine 0.472mg 0.531mg 0%
Omega-6 (Eicosadienoic acid) 0.007g N/A

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
18% 42% 29% 7% 4%
Protein: 18.29 g
Fats: 42.16 g
Carbs: 28.88 g
Water: 6.96 g
Other: 3.71 g
17% 31% 42% 6% 5%
Protein: 16.54 g
Fats: 30.74 g
Carbs: 42.12 g
Water: 5.8 g
Other: 4.8 g
Contains more FatsFats +37.2%
Contains more WaterWater +20%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +45.8%
~equal in Protein ~16.54g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
9% 19% 72%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 3.663 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 7.527 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 28.73 g
11% 8% 81%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 3.33 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 2.309 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 23.665 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +226%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +21.4%
~equal in Saturated fat ~3.33g

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References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Flax seeds - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169414/nutrients
  2. Chia seeds - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170554/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.